Roller for removing folds from material in film or web form

ABSTRACT

A roller for removing folds from web material has an outer tube part mounted at each extremity by end bearings on a central curved shaft. An oil-resistant elastic polymer sleeve spaced from but surrounding the shaft has an outer surface applied against the inner surface of the tube part. The inner surface of the sleeve is applied against the outer races of ball bearings disposed at intervals along the shaft between the end bearings. Opposite ends of the sleeve are clamped to the end bearing, and the space between the sleeve and shaft contains lubricating oil.

United States Patent 11 1 Hanssen Sept. 11, 1973 [54] ROLLER FORREMOVING FOLDS FROM 3,562,882 2/1971 Widmer et al. 29/116 R X MATERIAL[N FILM OR WEB FORM 3,406,438 10/1968 Reilly 29/116 R 3,512,475 5/1970Justus et al. 29/116 R X Inventor: Pierre J- Hanssen, schweighouse,3,039,370 6/1962 King et al.., 29/113 R x France 3,095,634 7/1963Williams et al. 29/113 R I 3,094,771 6/1963 Robertson 29/116 AD [73]Ass'gnee- Hansse 3,500,524 3 1970 Jagminas 29 116 R France v [22] Fil d;D 7, 1971 Primary ExaminerAlfred R. Guest Attorney-Robert E. Burns etal. [21] Appl. No.: 205,525

[57] ABSTRACT [30] v Foreign Application Priority Data A roller forremoving folds from web material has an Dec. 16, 1970 France 7045930outer tube p mounted at each extremity y end ings on a central curvedshafL An oil-resistant elastic [52] U.S. C1 29/116 R p ymer l v pace frm bu surrounding the shaft [51] Int. Cl B2111 13/02 has an Outer surfacepplie agains the inner surface [58] Field of Search 29/113 R, 116 R, ofh tube p r Th nn r rf f the sleeve is ap- 1 29/116 AD, 130 plied againstthe outer races of ball bearings disposed at intervals along the shaftbetween the end bearings. [56] References Cited Opposite ends of thesleeve are clamped to the end UNITED STATES PATENTS bearing, and thespace between the sleeve and shaft 2,960,753 11/1960 Robertson 29 116 Rx comams lubr'catmg 3,543,365 12/1970 Helminen 29/113 R 8 Claims, 2Drawing Figures ROLLER FOR REMOVING FOLDS FROM MATERIAL IN FILM OR WEBFORM The invention relates to a roller for removing folds from films ormaterial in the form of fibrous, cellulosic, metallic and plastics websand generally any material in the form of a web.

Rollers for removing folds are already known. One of these known rollerscomprises a shaft, provided with bearing cages on the extended partlocated inside a tube made flexible by a series of transverse incisions.These cages are constituted by ball bearings and by supports for thelatter formed by a flanged race fixed to the shaft and by the bearingwhich is in contact with the inside of the tube by means of anotherrace, the outer surface of which is slightly curved and constituted by aring of flexible material. If the flexible tube is covered by a sheathof flexible material, the latter is kept in place on the tube by rings.At its ends, the flexible tube comprises bearings provided with ballbearings.

Rollers are also known comprising the same members as above-described,but the tube is a curved sleeve pivoting about a curved shaft. Inaddition, the sleeve periphery is formed with a plurality of obliquegrooves. These grooves are divided into two series of grooves, the axis'of each groove forming a certain angle relative to the direction offeed of the film. The two series are I divergent, which causes a slightwidening-out or widthwise spreading of the film, and accentuates theeffect already obtained by the curve of the roller for removing folds.Each groove is composed of two oblique-incisions provided with acircular aperture. The grooves of each series are equidistant andpreferably parallel to each other. Two grooves located in the same planeperpendicular to the curved shaft but obliquely relative to thedirection of feed of the film, start from two diametrically opposedpoints. The film adheres to the edges of the oblique grooves and, due tothe helical unwinding action of these edges, the film tends to deviatefrom the direction of feed.

, These known fold removing rollers have several disadvantages. For thecorrect operation of the ball bearings, these parts have tojbelubricated correctly. Nevertheless, the feeding speed of the .film iscontinually being increased. Due to this. fact, it is necessary tolubricate the ball bearings with oil. In fact, at high speedsof'rotation, lubrication with oil is much more appropriate thanjwithgrease, but has not been'possible hitherto. in the case of rollers for removing folds formed in ac cordance withthe invention, as herebelow setforth, lubrication by means of an oil bath can be used anddue to thestirring of theoil, good lubrication of the ballbearing can be obtainedautomatically. I

Due 'to the relatively low viscosity of the'lubricant, it is necessaryto provide good fluid-tightness so as to retain the oil.

An object of the invention is to obviate or substantially. obviate theabove described disadvantages observed in known rollers and provide aroller for removing folds, utilising a new'conception of mounting andlubrication of ball bearings to permit the curved roller or the segmentsof curved roller to rotate easily at high speed, by assuring thatit canbe continuously lubricated in an oil bath. Thus the running speed of thefilm can be increased and the installation made more profitable.

For this purpose, there is provided according to the invention a rollerassembly for bearing meansincluding removing folds from films ormaterial in the form of tibrous, cellulosic, metallic and plastics websand generally any material in the form of a web, said roller comprisinga curved shaft serving as a support for end bearings and intermediatebearings, said bearings being provided with ball bearings located insidea rigid outer sleeve having axially spaced regions circumferentiallythereof thereby defining a flexible tube or sleeve and/or segments oftube, at least one fluid tight flexible inner sleeve, of elastic polymerresistant to lubricating oils located between the outer flexible tube orsegments and the bearings, said sleeve being held at its ends by sealingmeans including clamping-bands firmly applying said ends in undulatinggrooves provided in the end bearings and/or intermediate bearings, andsaid sleeve enclosing the ball bearings placed between the variousbearings.

The invention will be further described by way of example with referenceto the. accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view of part of a roller for removingfolds, formed according to the invention, comprising a flexible,metallic external tube, and

FIG. 2 is an axial, sectional view, on a larger scale, of part of aroller for removing folds formed according to the invention, comprisingan outer elastic cover.

Referring to FIG. 1, the roller for removing folds 1 comprises a shaft2'held at its ends by a bearing 3'. This shaft 2 is, in reality, curved,but in order to simplify the drawing, it has been shown rectilinear.This shaft 2 serves as a support for a flexible metallic tube or tubesegments 4. The flexibility of the tube 4 is imparted to it by grooves5, 6,7, which may be either oblique, or transverse relative to thegeneratrix of the flexible tube or tube segments 4. Each groove 5, 6, 7,is provided at its ends with a circular aperture 8.

Two tubular bearings 9 and 10 comprising ball bearings 11 and 12respectively are provided between the ends of the flexible tube or tubesegments 4 and the shaft 2. The diameter of an outer surface 13 of thebearing 9 corresponds to the outer diameter of the roller 1 for removingfolds. This bearing 9 comprises a first step 14 which makes it possibleto laterally engage one end 15 of the bearing 9 inside one end of theflexible tube or tube segments 4. At the other end of the tube, wherethe other bearing 10 is located, a cover 16 is'p'rovided coveringthe'bearing l0 and comprising a step 17 engaged in the tube or. segments4, to retain it or them laterally. v

A housing 18 is provided in the bearing 10 in which there is inserted,on the one hand, the ball bearing 12 and, on the other hand, a retainingring 19 provided with at least one seal 20. The retaining ring 19 andthe ball bearing 12 are held in place by a stop ring 21 housed in agroove provided in the bore of the bearing 10. A stop collar 22, held inplace on the shaft 2 by a radial grub screw 23 with a pointed end, comesto bear against the inner race 24 of the ball-bearing 12. A spacingpiece 27 is provided between the inner race 24 of the ball bearing 12and an inner race 25 of an intermediate ball bearing. The outer race 28of this ballbearing 26 abuts against the end bearing 10. Anotherintermediate bearing 26a is mounted on the shaft 2 between'- the twobearings- Between the bearings 9 and 10 there is provided a fluid-tightsleeve 29 of elastic polymer such as, for example, PERBUNAN (Trade Mark)which corresponds to neoprene, a type of elastomers base on polymers,which is resistant to lubricating oils. The ends 30 and 31 of the sleeve29 are located in grooves 32 and 33 formed respectively in the outersurfaces of the bearings 9 and 10. By means of bands 34 and 35 clampingthe ends of the sleeve 29 in the grooves 32 and 33, the fluid-tightsleeve 29 is kept in place. In order that the ends 30 and 31 be wellretained, the bases of the grooves 32 and 33 have an undulated shape 37,which increases the contact surface between the members which are faceto face. Moreover a good seal is ensured at these locations.

Chambers 36 defined between the shaft 2 and the fluid-tight sleeve 29are thus obtained. Lubricating oil may circulate in these chambers, theoil being introduced thereinto through an axial bore 54 provided in theshaft 2. After being filled with oil, this bore is stopped up by a plug55. Stirring means including deflectors 38 and 39 are provided near thebearings 9 and 10 to ensure good distribution of the oil.

The roller for removing foldsillustrated in FIG. 2 is almost identicalto that described with reference to FIG. 1. In FIG. 2 the flexible metaltube 4, identical to that in FIG. 1, is covered by an elastic cover 40.The grooves 5, 6 and 7 remain in order to retain the flexibility of thetube/cover arrangement. In order to retain this elastic cover 40, it isnecessary to modify the end of the roller.

The cover 16 (FIG. 1) is replaced by a sleeve 41 (FIG. 2.). The lattercomprises on its outer periphery a left-hand step 42 for the end of themetal tube 4, and a second right-hand step 43 serving as a support foran end 44 of the elastic cover 40. This step 43 is provided withtransverse undulations 45 which make it possible to strengthen thesecurement of the end 44 of the elastic cover 40. The sleeve 41comprises a narrow part 46 in which a clamping ring 47 is inserted, heldin place by a stopring 48. A cover 49, covering the end of the rollerfor removing folds, is made integral with the latter by fixing screws 50screwed into the clamping ring 47. The ring 51, provided with a seal 52,is held in place by a grub screw 53 with a pointed end. This ring 51 hasthe same function as the ring 22 (F 1G. 1), and has practically the sameform. t I

In order to centre and clamp the various ball bearings correctly, it isnecessary that the arrangemenflcomposed of the shaft,' the ball bearingsand the-fluid-tight sleeves is tightly mounted in the flexible tube ortube segments.

For this purpose, a vacuum is initially established in the fluid-tightsleeve 29, mounted with its shaft and the ball bearings. This causes thefluid-tight sleeve 29 to be pressed against the shaft 2. Due to thetraction thus exerted, the thickness of the fluid-tight sleeve 29 isdecreased at the location of the ball bearings. This operation makes itpossible to pass the flexible tube 4 over the shaft and ball bearingswithout forcing the tube. When air is again allowed to enter thefluid-tight sleeve 29, the latter reassumes its initial position andoriginal thickness, which assures a good retention of the ball bearingsin the flexible tube 4.

Although the invention has been described with regard to a particularembodiment, it is understood that it is in no way limited and thatvarious modifications of form and material can be applied withoutdiverging from the frame and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A roller assembly for removing folds from a moving web of materialduring use comprising: an elongated rigid shaft having a set curvature;a flexible inner sleeve comprising oil resistant materialcircumferentially enclosing said shaft and spaced therefrom; hearingmeans disposed between said shaft and said inner sleeve rotatablymounting said inner sleeve about the longitudinal axis of said shaft anddefining in conjunction with said shaft and said inner sleeve areservoir receptive of an oil lubricant therein for lubricating saidbearing means; sealing. means including said inner sleeve cooperativewith said bearing means for fluid tightly sealing said reservoiroutwardly of the bearing means to define a closed lubrication reservoirin communication with said bearing means; and a rigid outer sleevefixedly mounted circumferentially about and in intimate contact withsaid inner sleeve having therein axially spaced regionscircumferentially thereof permitting deformation with respect to thelongitudinal axis thereof and having an outer surface forengaging amoving web of material during use of the roller assembly.

2. A roller assembly according to claim 1, wherein said bearing meanscomprises a bearing disposed at each end portion of said inner sleeveand at a center portion thereof.

3. A roller assembly according to claim 1, comprising stirring meansmounted in said reservoir for stirring the lubricant therein.

4. A roller assembly according to claim 3, wherein said stirring meanscomprises deflectors for stirring said lubricant.

5. A roller assembly according to calim 1, wherein said shaft has meanstherein defining a passage in communication with said reservoir andreceptive of a lubricant therein.

6. A roller assembly according to claim 1, wherein said inner sleevecomprises an elastomer. I

7. A roller assembly according to claim 6, wherein said elastomercomprises PERBUNAN.

8. A roller assembly according to claim 1, further comprising elasticsleeve covering said outer sleeve.

1. A roller assembly for removing folds from a moving web of materialduring use comprising: an elongated rigid shaft having a set curvature;a flexible inner sleeve comprising oil resistant materialcircumferentially enclosing said sHaft and spaced therefrom; bearingmeans disposed between said shaft and said inner sleeve rotatablymounting said inner sleeve about the longitudinal axis of said shaft anddefining in conjunction with said shaft and said inner sleeve areservoir receptive of an oil lubricant therein for lubricating saidbearing means; sealing means including said inner sleeve cooperativewith said bearing means for fluid tightly sealing said reservoiroutwardly of the bearing means to define a closed lubrication reservoirin communication with said bearing means; and a rigid outer sleevefixedly mounted circumferentially about and in intimate contact withsaid inner sleeve having therein axially spaced regionscircumferentially thereof permitting deformation with respect to thelongitudinal axis thereof and having an outer surface for engaging amoving web of material during use of the roller assembly.
 2. A rollerassembly according to claim 1, wherein said bearing means comprises abearing disposed at each end portion of said inner sleeve and at acenter portion thereof.
 3. A roller assembly according to claim 1,comprising stirring means mounted in said reservoir for stirring thelubricant therein.
 4. A roller assembly according to claim 3, whereinsaid stirring means comprises deflectors for stirring said lubricant. 5.A roller assembly according to calim 1, wherein said shaft has meanstherein defining a passage in communication with said reservoir andreceptive of a lubricant therein.
 6. A roller assembly according toclaim 1, wherein said inner sleeve comprises an elastomer.
 7. A rollerassembly according to claim 6, wherein said elastomer comprises''''PERBUNAN.''''
 8. A roller assembly according to claim 1, furthercomprising elastic sleeve covering said outer sleeve.